Have you found that you suffer from diffuse redness across your face? Does it seem to get worse as the seasons change? Or after rigorous exercise? After a spicy curry or a night out with the lads has the redness worsened? Is your skin overly sensitive?
If you have answered yes to any of the above, chances are that you have rosacea. As a guy, you may not have even heard of rosacea (pronounced ro-SAY-sha), however it does affect 10% of the Australian population. While there is no cure, it can be managed and minimised with topical rosacea treatments to reduce inflammation, redness, and bumpy skin.
So…What Is It?
Rosacea is an inflammatory disorder that appears on the face. The most common symptom is redness across the centre of the face (nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead). This redness is constant and intensifies during different time periods. Spots similar to acne, rough skin, and blood vessels (called ‘telangiectasia’) can sometimes develop as it progresses.
If you have rosacea, your other symptoms might include skin flushing or frequent blushing, especially if you are feeling nervous or anxious, after drinking alcohol, eating spicy food or after exposure to the sun. Winter with its cold, dry weather can aggravate it.
While it mostly affects women over the age of 30 with lighter skin tones, it can develop at any age, and occurs in people of deeper skin tones (if you have African, Asian, or Mediterranean descent that’s you). However, men have been found to be more than twice as likely to experience an enlarged nose (a condition known as rhinophyma, also classified as subtype 3 (phymatous) rosacea). The symptoms include excess tissue, thickening of the skin and irregular surface nodules.
Having constant redness and irritation can cause embarrassment and even depression. But fear not, these days rhinophyma can be treated with laser surgery.
Treating Your Rosacea
Doctors and dermatologists can prescribe you the best rosacea treatment cream for your skin. Skin care is unisex and shouldn’t differentiate between men and women! You can choose to visit a clinic or reach out to a telehealth provider to consult a doctor via a one-to-one video call from the comfort of your home. They will also help you identify triggers from your lifestyle choices and environment.
With the help of compounding pharmacists, they design a rosacea cream with customised active ingredients that have been expertly fine-tuned to work seamlessly with your skin’s tolerance, allergies, and sensitivity level.
Now, for women it is much easier to disguise rosacea with makeup and call it a day. For men, clearing up diffuse redness can be achieved by pairing topical treatments with in-clinic intense pulse-light or laser treatments.
Shaving And Rosacea
As rosacea affects the upper cheeks and nose, you won’t have to worry much about changing up your shaving habits. However, if you suffer from folliculitis (inflammation of the hair follicles that is common for men with rosacea to have) and you need to shave the affected areas, use an electric razor as they are gentler than razor blades (and don’t dull so easily).
Now, when it comes to skin care and your rosacea treatment, what do you do? Bin any shaving or facial products that burn or sting when applied to your skin, such as astringents, toners, and chemical exfoliators.
Do be wary about the ingredients that make up your shaving products (shaving cream, after-shave, etc.). Avoid:
- Alcohol
- Camphor
- Clove oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Fragrance
- Menthol
- Mint
- Salicylic acid
- Sodium laurel sulphate
- Witch hazel
Cleanse your face with a mild, fragrance-free formula and your fingertips (put the washcloth down). Make sure you use warm (never hot) water to rinse, before carefully patting your face dry.
Don’t forget to wear sunscreen to protect your skin from unwanted UV exposure and sunburn. A broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher with zinc oxide will get you the best results.
Some doctors will prescribe patients oral antibiotics when their rosacea has progressed too much or if it has reached their eyes.
Managing Beyond Medicine
Minimising flare-ups as the year cycles through its seasons is the only way to handle rosacea long-term when there is no cure. Having rosacea means that temperature extremes and sudden swings in humidity or dryness can make your skin angry and unhappy. You don’t want that coming in hot during your hot guy summer or winter.
Summertime
When it’s hot, your body forces more blood flow to your skin to help cool you down.
- Hit the outdoor workouts in the morning or later in the day. Become a fitness owl if you suffer from a lot of redness before you get your rosacea under control.
- Indoor gyms with air-conditioning are your new best friend.
- Stay away from the booze if it is one of your triggers or just drink less, dude.
- Say no to spicy food.
- Leave foods that contains histamines alone, like chocolate.
- Wear a cap or hat (rock a cowboy hat at the beach) and shades.
- Don’t be a lobster (apply that sunscreen and reapply every 2-3 hours).
Wintertime
Winter wind dries out your skin, and the wind burn from it buffeting against your face can also be a trigger. With cold air containing little to no moisture, it often draws hydration out of your skin!
- Use a thick cream full of long-lasting moisture as your armour against winter dryness.
- Buy yourself a humidifier to balance the moisture levels of the air in your home to counter any dryness brought about by indoor furnaces, fires, and heaters.
- Heat sources are a no-go. All the blasts of hot, dry air and steam from hot baths can be triggers.
- A scarf is a quick (and stylish) way to protect your skin from the wind.
- That ‘weaker’ winter sun can still burn. If you head to the slopes, the sunshine ricocheting off the snow and ice needs to be bounced with sunscreen too.
